chapter 6 a few upsets

berta looked so upset that aunt fanny acted quickly and firmly. 'don't bother about that letter now,quentin,' she said. 'we'll go through it afterwards and decide what to do. let's have our breakfast inpeace.'

'i won't have my hair cut off,' said berta, again. uncle quentin was not used to being defied openlylike this, and he scowled. he looked at his wife.

24

'surely you are not going to let this - er what's her name now - bertha...'

'berta,' said everyone automatically.

'i said that we would not discuss this till after breakfast,' said aunt fanny, in the kind of voice thatmade everyone, including uncle quentin, quite certain that she meant what she said. her husbandfolded up the letter and opened the next one, frowning. the children looked at one another.

berta to be a boy! goodness! if ever anyone looked less like a boy it was berta! george was mostannoyed. she loved to dress like a boy, but she didn't feel inclined to urge anyone else to!

she looked at berta, who was eating her breakfast with tears in her eyes. what a baby! she wouldn'teven look like a boy, if she was dressed in boys' clothes. she would just look absolutely silly.

julian began a conversation with his aunt about the garden. she was grateful to him for breaking upthe sudden awkwardness caused by the letter. she was very fond of julian. 'i can always depend onhim,' she thought, and talked gladly of the garden fruit, and who would pick the raspberries for lunchand whether the wasps would eat all the plums or not!

dick joined in, and anne, and soon berta did too. only george and her father remained gloomy.

they both looked so exactly alike in solemn, rather frowning expressions that julian nudged dickand nodded towards them.

dick grinned. 'like father, like daughter!' he said. 'cheer up, george. don't you like your breakfast?'

george was just about to answer crossly when anne gave an exclamation. 'oh, look at unclequentin! he's putting mustard on his toast - aunt fanny, stop him - he's just going to eat it!'

everyone roared with laughter. aunt fanny managed to smack her husband's hand down from hismouth, just as he was putting his toast and mustard up to it, reading a letter at the same time.

'hey - what's the matter?' he said, startled.

'quentin - that's the second time this month you've spread your toast with mustard instead of withmarmalade,' said his wife. 'do have a little sense.'

after that everyone became very cheerful. uncle quentin laughed at himself, and george saw thefunny side and laughed loudly too, which made timmy bark, and berta giggled. aunt fanny wasquite relieved that her husband had done such a silly thing.

25

'do you remember when father poured custard all over his fried fish once?' george said, entering intothe talk for the first time. 'and he said it was the best egg-sauce he had ever tasted?'

the conversation was very animated after that, and aunt fanny felt happier. 'you girls can clearaway and wash up the breakfast things for joan,' she said. 'or two of you can and the other can makethe beds with me.'

'what about my little dog?' said berta, suddenly remembering her again. 'i haven't seen her yet,because i was only just in time for breakfast. where is she?'

'you can go and get her now,' said aunt fanny. 'we've all finished. are you going to start your work,quentin?'

'yes, i am,' said her husband. 'so i don't want any yelling or shouting or barking outside my studydoor.'

he got up and went out of the room. berta stood up too. 'where's the kennel?' she said.

'i'll show you,' said anne. 'we'll go and get your dog and introduce it to timmy. coming, george?'

'you can bring the dog in here, and we'll see what timmy says,' said george, going all gloomy again.

'if he doesn't like the dog - and he won't - it will have to live out in the kennel.'

'oh no,' said berta, at once.

'well, you don't want timmy to eat it, do you?' said george. 'he's very jealous of other dogs in thehouse. he might go for yours and savage it.'

'oh no!' said berta, again, looking upset. 'timmy's nice. he's not a fierce dog.'

'that's all you know!' said george. 'well, i've warned you.'

'come on,' said anne, pulling at berta's sleeve. 'let's go and fetch sally. she must be wondering whynobody bothers about her. i bet timmy won't mind terribly.'

as soon as the two had gone out, george spoke in timmy's ear. 'you don't like strange dogs whowant to come and live here, do you, tim? you'll growl and snarl like anything, won't you?

growl your very fiercest! i know you won't bite but if you could just growl your loudest, that will beenough. berta will make that sally-dog live out of doors then!'

soon she heard footsteps returning, and anne's voice exclaiming in delight.

'oh, she's sweet! oh, what a darling! sally, you're a pet! julian, dick, aunt fanny - do come and seeberta's dog!'

everyone came into the room, led by berta and anne. berta held the dog in her arms.

26

it was a tiny black poodle, whose woolly fur was cut away here and there to give it a very fashionablelook. sally was certainly an attractive little thing! her sharp little nose sniffed all the time she wascarried into the room, and her quick little eyes looked everywhere.

berta put her down, and the little poodle stood there, poised on her dainty feet like a ballet dancerabout to perform. everyone but george exclaimed in delight.

'she's a poppet!'

'sally! sally, you're a pet!'

'oh, a poodle! i do love poodles! they look so knowing.'

timmy stood by george, sniffing hard to get the smell of this new dog. george had her hand on hiscollar in case he sprang. his tail was as stiff as a ramrod.

the poodle suddenly saw him. she stared at him out of bright little eyes, quite unafraid. then shepulled away from berta's hand and trotted right over to timmy, her funny little tail wagging merrily.

timmy backed a little in surprise. the poodle danced all round him on her toes, and a littlewhimpering bark, which said as plainly as possible, i want to play with you!

timmy sprang. he leapt in the air and came down with a thud on his big paws, and the little poodledodged. timmy's tail began to wag wildly. he sprang again in play, and almost knocked the littlepoodle over. he barked as if to say 'sorry, i didn't mean that!'

then he and the poodle played a most ridiculous game of dodge and run, and although one or twochairs went flying nobody minded - they were all laughing so much at the sight of the quick littlepoodle leading timmy such a dance.

at last sally was tired and sat down in a corner. timmy pranced about in front of her, showing off.

then he went up to her and sniffed her nose. he licked it gently, and then lay down in front of her,gazing at her adoringly.

anne gave a little squeal of laughter. 'he's gazing at sally exactly as he gazes at you, george!'

she cried.

but george was not at all pleased. in fact she was quite astounded. to think that timmy shouldwelcome another dog! to think that he should behave like this when she had told him to do theopposite!

27

'aren't they sweet together?' said berta, pleased. 'i thought timmy would like sally. of course sallyis a pedigree dog, and cost a lot of money - and timmy's only a mongrel. i expect he thinks she'swunnerful.'

'oh, tim may be a mongrel, but he's absolutely wunnerful too,' said dick, hastily, pronouncing theword like berta, to try and get a laugh. he saw george's scowl, and knew how cross she felt athearing her beloved timmy compared with a pedigree dog. 'he's a magnificent fellow, aren't you,timmy?' went on dick. 'sally may be a darling, but you're worth more than a hundred darlings, aren'tyou?'

'i think he's beautiful,' said berta, looking down at timmy. 'he's got the loveliest eyes i ever did see.'

george began to feel a little better. she called timmy. 'you're making rather a fool of yourself,'

she said to him.

'now that timmy and sally are going to be friends, can i have sally to sleep on my bed at night, likegeorge has timmy?' said berta. 'please say yes, aunt fanny.'

'no,' said george at once. 'mother, i won't have that. i won't!'

'well, we'll see what we can do about it,' said her mother. 'sally was quite happy in the kennel lastnight, i must say.'

'i'm going to have her sleep with me,' said berta, scowling at george. 'my father will pay you a lot ofmoney to make me happy. he told me he would.'

'don't be silly, berta,' said aunt fanny, firmly. 'this isn't a question of money. now, leave this for alittle while, please, and go and do your jobs, all of you. and then we must consider your father'sletter, berta, and see exactly what he wants done. we must certainly try to follow his advice aboutyou.'

'but i don't want to...' began berta, and then felt a firm hand on her arm. it was julian.

'come on, kid,' he said. 'be your age! remember you're a guest here and put on a few of your bestmanners. we like american children - but not spoilt ones!'

berta had quite a shock to hear julian speaking like this. she looked up at him and he grinned downat her. she felt near tears, but she smiled back.

'you haven't any brothers to keep you in your place,' said julian, linking his arm in hers. 'well, fromnow on, while you're here, dick and i are your brothers, and you've got to toe the line, just like anne.

see? what about it?'

28

berta felt that there was nothing in the world she would like better than having julian for a brother!

he was big and tall and had twinkling kindly eyes that made berta feel he was as responsible andtrustable as her father.

aunt fanny smiled to herself. julian always knew the best thing to say and do. now he would takeberta in hand and see that she didn't upset the household too much. she was glad. it wasn't easy torun a big family like this, with a scientist husband to cope with, unless everyone pulled together!

'you go and help aunt fanny with the beds,' said julian to berta. 'and take your sally-dog with you.

she's great! but so is timmy, and don't you forget it!'